led, pushed along from halfway, narrowly headed 2f out, rallied gamely inside final furlong to lead last stride
raced in 3rd and pushed along early, went 2nd over 2f out, took narrow lead 2f out, hard driven final furlong, headed last stride
tracked winner to over 2f out, stayed challenging until unable to quicken approaching final furlong
always last, ridden and struggling final 3f
raced in 4th, ridden 3f out, effort 2f out, stayed on under pressure from over 1f out
Just the five runners but a very good race in store and that grand warhorse Persian Punch can write another remarkable chapter into a marvellous career. A winner now of 16 races and twice placed in the Melbourne Cup, David Elsworth's now 10-year-old took his career earnings to around the ¿850,000 mark when finishing a fine runner-up in the Ascot Gold Cup last time out. A repetition of that would see him home in front and ensure that this Sandown regular brings the house down. The main danger is Cover Up, who comes here after completing back-to-back wins in Royal Ascot's Queen Alexandra Stakes. He beat Tamiami Trail by a length-and-three-quarters in that race and is now three pounds better off, although, of course, this race is six furlongs shorter than the Queen Alexandra. The other pair are entitled to run well but they do need to improve on their overall form. For the record, Taffrail is running in first-time cheekpieces. However, overall, Persian Punch is selected to land a popular victory.
